Suggested Reading - Tips and Trick
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I presented a class at Autodesk University (AU) last week: 60 tips and tricks with Inventor Nastran. The video and handout will eventually be located on the AU website (https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/au-online), but I wanted to make it available now. See the attached.
- If you are new to Inventor Nastran, I highly recommend reviewing the tips to help get your computer setup, know some important things to do and how, and many other ideas for using the Nastran environment more efficiently.
- If you are already familiar with Inventor Nastran, there may still be a few new tricks for you.
Here is the table of contents for your convenience:
- 1) Modeling in Inventor
- Tip 1. Use Model State
- Tip 2. Combine parts of assembly
- Tip 3. Create surface model for shell elements
- 2) Setting up the environments
- Tip 4. Display surfaces as opaque
- Tip 5. Change parameters for analysis
- Tip 6. Change parameters for current model
- Tip 7. Change parameters for all new models
- Tip 8. Prompt for solution with warnings
- Tip 9. Optimize load/constraint graphics
- 3) Idealizations
- Tip 10. Use proper idealization for different geometry
- 4) Meshing
- Tip 11. Mesh settings versus Mesh table
- Tip 12. Which mesh was used?
- 5) Connectors
- Tip 13. Multiple connectors in one dialog
- Tip 14. Rigid vs Interpolation Connector
- Tip 15. Springs
- 6) Contact
- Tip 16. Solver instead of manual contact
- Tip 17. Hide parts to select “covered” faces
- Tip 18. Max activation distance (manual contact)
- Tip 19. Max. activation distance (solver contact)
- Tip 20. Unsymmetric versus Symmetric contact
- Tip 21. Friction in contact
- Tip 22. Deleting contacts
- 7) Loads & Constraints
- Tip 23. Face Chain
- Tip 24. Use Pressure where possible
- Tip 25. Loads & Constraints in multiple subcases
- Tip 26. New load or constraint
- Tip 27. Duplicate load or constraint
- 8 ) Ribbon & Model Tree
- Tip 28. How to hide ALL CAD parts
- Tip 29. How to hide mesh using Mesh Table
- Tip 30. Hide parts and mesh using Model Tree
- Tip 31. How to display beam cross-section
- Tip 32. Show direction or orientation of beams
- Tip 33. Keep Model branch collapsed
- Tip 34. How to add a concentrated mass
- Tip 35. How to copy loads, constraints, and so on
- Tip 36. What NOT to change from Model branch
- 9) Running Analysis
- Tip 37. Activate results output for nonlinear analysis
- Tip 38. Improve convergence in nonlinear analysis
- Tip 39. Queue multiple analyses using Nastran Editor
- Tip 40. Queue multiple analyses using batch file
- Tip 41. View the warning/errors from analysis
- Tip 42. E5000, E5001, E5004 errors
- Tip 43. E5118 warning
- Tip 44. G3051 warning
- Tip 45. Add UCS to locate specific nodes
- 10) Viewing Results
- Tip 46. Load results for current analysis
- Tip 47. Review ALL the results!
- Tip 48. View reaction forces
- Tip 49. Meaning of moment SPC Summation
- Tip 50. Fringe and 6 color contour
- Tip 51. Nodal Probe versus Probe
- Tip 52. Make XY Plot for results
- Tip 53. How to hide parts
- Tip 54. Turn off automatic updating (performance)
- Tip 55. Turn off undeformed model (performance)
- Tip 56. FNO Reader to extract results
- Tip 57. FNO Reader to combine output steps
- Tip 58. FNO Reader to create new results
- 11) Help & Other Topics
- Tip 59. Search Help (or AKN) > Technical Support
- Tip 60. “List of changes” on Inventor Nastran forum
Edit 2024 Aug 30: uploaded rev 1 of pdf with some enhancements and changes through Inventor Nastran version 2025.1.
John
John Holtz, P.E.
Global Product Support
Autodesk, Inc.
If not provided already, be sure to indicate the version of Inventor Nastran you are using!
"The knowledge you seek is at knowledge.autodesk.com" - Confucius 😉